Biomaterial Database

Cruzipain, the major cysteine proteinase from the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. 1997

J J Cazzulo, and V Stoka, and V Turk

Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas, Luis F. Leloir, Fundación Campomar - CONICET - Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasitic protozoan which causes the American Trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease, contains a major cysteine proteinase (CP), cruzipain. The enzyme belongs to the papain family, but contains, as other CPs from Trypanosomatids, an unusual C-terminal extension. This C-terminal domain contains a number of post-translational modifications and is responsible for the immunodominant antigenic character of cruzipain in natural human infections. In addition, this domain is probably the cause of most of the microheterogeneities found in natural cruzipain. Irreversible inhibitors of CPs are able to block the parasite's life cycle at the differentiation steps, suggesting an essential role for CPs for parasite survival, and opening up possibilities of developing new chemotherapeutic agents against Chagas disease based on specific cruzipain inhibitors.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008969	Molecular Sequence Data	Descriptions of specific amino acid, carbohydrate, or nucleotide sequences which have appeared in the published literature and/or are deposited in and maintained by databanks such as GENBANK, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), National Biomedical Research Foundation (NBRF), or other sequence repositories.	Sequence Data, Molecular,Molecular Sequencing Data,Data, Molecular Sequence,Data, Molecular Sequencing,Sequencing Data, Molecular
D011487	Protein Conformation	The characteristic 3-dimensional shape of a protein, including the secondary, supersecondary (motifs), tertiary (domains) and quaternary structure of the peptide chain. PROTEIN STRUCTURE, QUATERNARY describes the conformation assumed by multimeric proteins (aggregates of more than one polypeptide chain).	Conformation, Protein,Conformations, Protein,Protein Conformations
D002384	Catalysis	The facilitation of a chemical reaction by material (catalyst) that is not consumed by the reaction.	Catalyses
D003546	Cysteine Endopeptidases	ENDOPEPTIDASES which have a cysteine involved in the catalytic process. This group of enzymes is inactivated by CYSTEINE PROTEINASE INHIBITORS such as CYSTATINS and SULFHYDRYL REAGENTS.
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000595	Amino Acid Sequence	The order of amino acids as they occur in a polypeptide chain. This is referred to as the primary structure of proteins. It is of fundamental importance in determining PROTEIN CONFORMATION.	Protein Structure, Primary,Amino Acid Sequences,Sequence, Amino Acid,Sequences, Amino Acid,Primary Protein Structure,Primary Protein Structures,Protein Structures, Primary,Structure, Primary Protein,Structures, Primary Protein
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D014349	Trypanosoma cruzi	The agent of South American trypanosomiasis or CHAGAS DISEASE. Its vertebrate hosts are man and various domestic and wild animals. Insects of several species are vectors.	Trypanosoma cruzus,cruzi, Trypanosoma
D015800	Protozoan Proteins	Proteins found in any species of protozoan.	Proteins, Protozoan